February 2018

The ummah longs for unity and demands a strong leadership. We blame the government, the society and enemies of Islam for our failure to get there. Yet if all of us implement Shari'ah values within our four walls, Islam will automatically be implemented outside our houses and into society. Islam is a status generated from within and cultivates a deep sense of responsibility. It promotes guardianship and watchfulness for those who fall within our care.

Many Muslims listen, subscribe and attend the events of Islamic speakers the world over, especially the "celebrity" ones, but what good does it do if they do not implement what was learnt once the talk is over? Then, such attendances are just for entertainment and display.When questioned by Allah, how many can defend that what they heard at such gatherings transformed their behaviour, and that they translated that knowledge into action?

The essence of Islam has been eradicated over the centuries and what is left of the message is miniscule. Islamic values have been substituted with the cultures of the colonists, including their individualistic mentality and goal in life. This is the psychology that cultivates the diseases of the heart caused by attachment to dunia.

I met a wonderful brother who is a volunteer at one of our local masjid. We heard one day that his wife passed away, but he was back at the masjid a couple of days after her demise, performing his routine volunteer duties as usual such that one would not realise that her death affected him unless one looked for the subtle changes in his normal demeanour.